i t z i e . d i a r y l a n d . c o m

Wo Chur Sue! // 2004-11-24


I'm sure that's not how to spell it in pinyin, but it means "I eat a vegetarian diet."

After spending a week and a half with adopting families, I am finally in Guilin visiting Shawnee and Zoe. I can also check e-mail and stuff without a bunch of business men hanging around or other people reading over my shoulder.

China has looked a lot like I expected it to from pictures etc. Changsha wasn't that much fun to visit, to be honest. The traffic was terrifying!!! They drive there like most people walk in a crowded situation - cars squeezing in when they can, going very close to each other, butting in front of one another. There were sometimes three lanes for traffic, but four cars across plus two motorbikes, a bike, and a few pedestrians cutting across. People carry an AMAZING amount of crap on the backs of their bikes. I used to think I was a badass when I was carrying some clothes and stuff on my bike to work every day when I worked at the hospital, but now that I've seen people carrying a pick-up-truck-sized load of goods on the backs of their bikes, I am no longer so full of myself! Changsha was mostly designer clothing shops and... well, just a big city, really, without much in the way of tourist shops, places to visit etc. We went to The Embroidery Institute of Hunan and that was pretty amazing. These women can embroider stuff so that both sides of the fabric have a picture on it and the picture is sometimes different depending on which side you look at. It's pretty hard to describe, but when I get back, maybe I can find you a link. It was impressive. We also went to Yue Loo (I dont know how to spell that in pinyin either) Academy, which was also very pretty. We visited some folks in the country, but I know that the guide didn't take us to what would REALLY be considered the country - more like the working class suburbs. Anyway, it was alright, but I wouldn't recommend going to Changsha for tourism purposes.

Also, I grew sick of bok choy.

The families did really well! A few of the little ones were still a bit reserved by the end of the week, but it was amazing how much they adjusted to their parents day by day. Some of the kids were just happy the whole time which I wasn't expecting. Anyway, the trip was really educational for me and totally made every moment of my job SO worth it. I understand better now what families are worried about when they're getting ready to travel to China.

Guangzhou was a lot of fun. The area around where we stayed was a total tourist trap, but still pretty cool. We stayed in the White Swan where there was someone on each floor to push the button for you on the elevator when they hear you come out of your room. They also remember where you "live" and will direct you the moment you step out of the elevator. They make your room up twice a day and turn down your bed covers and line up your slippers. I've never been so pampered in all my life. I felt kind of guilty about it, to be honest.

The architecture around Shamian island is very colonial. It was quite pretty. I couldn't believe how cheap some gifts were (and I'm sure that many of the shopkeepers couldn't believe how much these foreigners will pay for their wares). The meals were incredible and SO CHEAP!

I hopped a flight up to Guilin yesterday (Tuesday) and Shawnee met me in the airport. Her apartment is very much a traditional Chinese city home. The part that is the strangest for me is the bathroom - right off of the kitchen, with a squat toilet and shower in the same room. I finally know how to use a squat toilet. Everytime I go to the bathroom I feel like I've made a big accomplishment. I'm sure i haven't felt this way since I was potty trained. It helped a lot once Shawnee taught me to only pull my pants down to my knees and not to my ankles. If you pull your pants all the way down, they'll get wet. I bet that everyone but me could have figured this out, but I've been thinking about it for weeks - trying to figure out how I could pee and miss peeing on my pants if they were pulled down. Anyway, I've got it down to a science! The next step is to use a public toilet where there are apparently no dividers. Yikes! I'm definitely going to try to avoid peeing in public places.

Guilin is pretty, though I haven't gotten to see the prettiest parts yet. We rode around on a double decker bus this afternoon (fare is one yuan - about twelve cents U.S.)and took in a lot of the siguts. Tomorrow, we go to Yangshuo where I hear it is prettier and less touristy. There are neon palm trees here. Let's hope that I don't get malaria. I told my doctor that I was staying in big cities the whole time and I don't know if Yangshuo counts as a big city or not! Oh well. But my health has been great. I haven't gotten dysentry or had to use the immodium AD or anything! Yes, I know, TMI.

I love it here! But I also can't wait to go home and see my boy. Happy Thanksgiving!

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